50 People Who Decided To Make Their Own Dresses And It Was The Best Decision Ever
Handmade dresses are an excellent way to express your individual style and creativity through fashion. The craftsmanship and attention to detail that go into making each piece is impossible to find in mass-produced clothing. The devastating impact of fast fashion and its effects on workers also contribute to the renaissance of handmade fashion.
So in order to get your inspiration up and flowing, Bored Panda wrapped up this list of pictures featuring people’s most beautiful, one-of-a-kind dresses that would make all the princesses jealous in no time.
From never-before-seen designs to unique materials and creative construction techniques, let’s all give a big round of applause for these dressmakers.
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I Made And Painted My Own Gown For My Graduation Ball! I Painted Over 80 Flowers, Sewed + Stoned My Dress With My Mama And Designed The Whole Thing Myself
I Am Half Scottish And Half Japanese- I Hand-Sewed This Kimono From Men's Dress Shirts And Boxer Shorts
My Handmade Gown. Please Rate My Work
I'm not going to tell you how long I looked at the mannequin and wondered why the person had included the weird black body suit
To find out more about what it takes to create a perfect handmade dress as well as the art of sewing, Bored Panda reached out to Demi, a creator who specializes in retro sewing and who has been doing so for about a decade now. “I lean heavily on Google and internet blogs for sewing skills, as well as patternmaking books in the latter half of my career,” Demi told us.
She quit her job in health insurance to start live-streaming sewing projects because that was her true passion in life. “Now I have side gigs at a local fabric store and also teaching children how to sew, so my entire life revolves around this hobby!”
Having sewn for a decade now, we asked Demi how her skills and designs have changed over time. “I think the major change was starting to worry about how nice the smaller details that people don’t notice looked. I also guess I started with pre-made sewing patterns and while I still do use them on occasion, it’s faster and easier now for me to just draft something for myself that is unique, nobody else in the world has another one of those things, and it fits without adjustments,” the creator explained.
I Made Myself A Dress For My PhD Graduation
My Mom Made This Entire Wedding Dress, She Added Lots Of Jewels By Hand. Every Day She Spent Her Time Working On It. My Mom Is So Talented And I Want Every One To Know
Finally Finished - Formal Dress For A Wedding I’m Attending
Being in crafty circles for a long time, Demi argues that DIY fashion is a lot more popular these days than it used to be. “Especially when people have been more educated about fashion sustainability and some no longer wish to support fast fashion. Some turn to thrift shops and some turn to the craft side!” Demi’s only tip for any creative hobby, really, is to be more tenacious. “Do the work, look things up, don’t be scared of anything. That’s what Google and test runs are for.” The creator argues that there’s no magic trick or technique involved in starting from nothing and ending up with a beautiful dress.
“The only thing that prevents people from succeeding in this hobby is needing constant help and guidance from others without trying things out themselves first. When I start a project, I look at all the pain points of the project, all the skills I need, and I spend a long time researching different techniques and figuring out if I can do things better or smarter than how I’ve been doing them. That’s me, anyways,” Demi concluded.
We also asked Demi what it takes to make this beautiful dress she made for St Patrick’s Day. “To make a dress like this, you need a damn well-fitting basic bodice pattern and ability to think in 3D to transform photos that you see online to lines on paper and then to fabric,” the creator said.She added that there’s nothing original under the sun. “A lot of my designs are copied from vintage dresses from the '50s and '60s, this one included!”
Made My Prom Dress Using A Vintage 1960s Pattern
I Made My Wedding Dress
Made An Infinity Dress With The Leftover Satin I Had At Home, Self-Drafted Pattern. Had Fun Playing With This
Bored Panda also spoke with Kyoko Caulfield, an NYC-based artist who went viral after sharing this jaw-dropping kimono they made on Reddit with the caption “I am half Scottish and half Japanese- I hand-sewed this kimono from men's dress shirts and boxer shorts.”
Kyoko told us that their love for sewing started with making Halloween costumes as a child. “Every year, my dad and I would go to the fabric store and flip through the pattern booklets until I saw something I liked, and then we would spend a month or so sewing it together. It was a great bonding experience, and from there I started making my own clothes for everyday wear (although sometimes they still look like Halloween costumes).” Today, Kyoko works across a variety of artistic mediums, and you can follow their creations on social media here, here and here.
Engagement Photo Dress I Designed And Constructed. This Is My First Post, Hopefully You Guys Like It
This made my jaw drop. The dress color is perfect and it flows seamlessly. The lines are smooth and clean while still being polished and elegant. Honestly, this is a timeless dress.
Like it? I would ask you to marry me if you weren't already taken. I bet your fiance fell in love all over again. the colour is so sumptuous and the style is perfect on you. I love, love, love, this dress.
I don't like this dress, because the green colour of envy I get from looking at it doesn't become me at all.
Aghgorisn it’s an amazing dress but it’s freaking me out cuz the dirt is just gonna get in the bottom of the Dress and it is stressing me out
My Handmade Dresses For Mom And Daughters. Do You Like It?
I really need to learn how to make clothes so I can make clothes for my children. You did great- the dresses are beautiful
My Heart Was Heavy The Past Few Weeks And Naturally That Pours Out Into My Work. So I Made This Dress. I Hope Everyone Is Hanging In There Mentally, Change Will Come
“The concept behind this kimono was to create a textile piece that visually represented my somewhat unusual mixed-race heritage of being Scottish and Japanese. Like many mixed-race people, I often struggled to reconcile the two halves of my cultural identity growing up, but eventually reached a place where I felt I could celebrate it,” Kyoko told us when we asked about the idea behind this kimono.
Friends, What Do You Think Of This Dress I Made?
I'd love this in a small version for my daughter. You have a calling for this
Belle-Inspired Ballgown For An 8th Grade Project (First Sewing Project Ever)
Made Myself A Strawberry Dress Of My Dreams, Along With A Matching Shirt For My Husband
I love all the dresses on this post, but this is my favourite. It just suits you and its just so fun and cute. I'd love it! Well done
Kyoko said they chose to use men’s shirts and boxer shorts to represent Scottish tartans and a kimono silhouette for the overall vessel.
“From there I hand-sewed all the pieces together. A lot of aspects of this piece were born out of a lack of resources; I used men’s shirts because I couldn’t afford to order swatches of real clan tartans, and I hand-stitched them together because I didn’t have access to a sewing machine at the time.”
The artist believes that in the end, all these obstacles made the piece stronger. “They forced me to think outside the box and invest more of myself into the garment.”
I've Made My Christmas Party Dress The Last Three Years In A Row. Here They Are
This Is My Cousin. She Made This Mesmerizing Dress Using 36 Recycled Clothes. She Has Made Hundreds Of Dresses As Cool As This One, Always From Recycled Clothes
She looks like a gypsy or a beautiful Forest witch in some kind of fantasy book
Hi, I Made My Prom Dress By Hand. It Took Me So Long And I'm So Proud Of It
Kyoko believes that if you have the time, interest, and ability, you should absolutely handmake at least one clothing item for yourself. “No matter how it turns out, the care and effort that you put into it will make it a special piece in your wardrobe that you’ll always come back to.”
“Sewing is a skill that has a very low barrier to entry because, in the end, all you need is an idea, some fabric, a needle, and some thread. Besides utilizing the help of my family members, I am mostly self-taught, so I would recommend utilizing all of the free resources available to you on the internet via sewing blogs and YouTube,” the artist concluded.
17th Century-Inspired Gown. The Dress That Almost Killed My Remaining Brain Cells
I Made My Own Wedding Dress. I Feel Just Okay About It, But I Thought I'd Share Anyway
Thank you for sharing, even though you didn't feel it was 100%- it's brave to put yourself and your talents out there. It's a beautiful dress and it's unique. More wedding dresses should have a bit more personality like yours does.
I Made A Dress For My Eldest Daughter Evangeline
Made A Non-Conventional Wedding Dress
R2D2 Dress My Wife Made
I Created A 3-In-1 Wedding Dress For My Best Friend
Sewist On Low Budget Recreating Expensive Dresses. I Was Inspired By This Teuta Matoshi Dress
I Made This Dress. What Do You Think Of The Bodice?
This Is A Prom Dress My Aunt From Nigeria Made For Me Back In 2019. We Designed It Based On Two Different Dresses. The Pattern Of The Fabric Is My Favorite Part
I Made My Friend's Wedding Gown And Finally Got Pictures Back
Tried To Recreate A 60’s-Inspired Dress From The Queen’s Gambit
Dress Made From Over 2000 Pennies
My Friend And I Made This Upcycled Aqua Lace Faerie Dress
I Made The Dressing Gown That Bilbo Wears In The First Hobbit Movie
I Made My Dream Dress For St Patrick’s Day And I’m So Proud Of How It Turned Out
I Made My Own Wedding Dress And Veil
My mom made mine and it was beautiful! Your's is beautiful too!! I'm hoping one of my daughters want it someday. I can make pillows, curtains, and blankets!! Not a wedding gown. So your kids may want you to make them for them or just wear yours. I love stories where a wedding gown is passed down for generation's and just doing a little alterations. I don't know where you stand on Christening dresses for boy or girls but I would love to see your work on that too!! May your marriage be blessed from beginning to the end!!!
I Sew For A Hobby, This Is My Princess Belle Ball Gown I Made. She's My Favorite Disney Princess And I Finally Got Up The Gumption To Attempt Her
I Made My And My Friend's Prom Dresses
Made A Dress For The 'Gilded Glamour' Met Gala Theme
My Favorite Sewing Project To Date
Hello, I Made This Dress Out Of Two Table Cloths (One Fabric, One Lace)
I Designed LED Wearable Dress
This might just be my favourite dress on the whole thread, but its such a close race.
I Made A 1670s Court Gown In Three Parts
Couldn't Afford A Vivienne Westwood Cocotte Dress, So I Made One
I Made My Own Wedding Dress
My Mom Has Been Working On My Sister’s Dress For 2 Months, She’s Almost Done
I Made Sophie Hatter's Dress From Howl's Moving Castle
This Is What Happens When Your Fancy Event Gets Canceled. Chores In An Evening Gown
M7683. Made it for a black tie wedding but sadly the bride and groom caught Omicronbie&Fitch leaving me with nowhere to wear it. So instead I got all dressed up and did Sunday Chores.
A Girl Spent Four Years And Used 10,000 Starburst Wrappers To Make This Amazing Dress
Finally Finished This Dress
My Handmade Dresses For Flower Girls
My grandmother made my cousin and I flower girl dresses for my aunt's wedding in the 80's. She was so gifted. All my dolls had the most amazing clothes too.
I Made My First Gown. I Completed This A Few Months Ago And Finally Had Time To Take Pictures
I Made This Dress And Crown For A Potato Festival Sewing Competition. I Came Runner-Up
I Made My Cousin’s Wedding Dress
I Made A Wool Dress Completely From Scratch. Started With The Raw Sheep Fleece
I Have Finished Sewing This Dress. What Do You Think Of The Color And Pattern?
Made This Beautiful Vintage Dress For My Engagement Photos And Just A Mini Shoot! Aiming To Make My Entire Wardrobe To Be Vintage
Finished My Galaxy Dress Just In Time For A Star Wars Concert
I Made A Replica Of The Famous Strawberry Dress By Lirika Matoshi. Very Late To The Party
Always Been A Fan Of Alice In Wonderland. Designed And Sewn This Dress For My Alice Cosplay
She Drew A Picture Of Her Dream Dress, And Her Grandma Made It For Her
Before And After Altering A Dress I Found On Amazon
I Made My Prom Dress
My Handmade Dress. Do You Like This Golden Dress Bodice?
I Made These Two Dresses This Week. The Fabric Is Thrifted And The Long All Blue Dress Used To Be A Curtain
Made This Dress During A Lockdown In South Africa To Keep Being Busy
I Started Sewing 3 Months Ago. These Are My Favorite Designs So Far. I Don't Sell Anything Because I'm Far Too New. All My Fabric Is Thrifted As Well
For 3 months, you are doing an amazing job! These are beautiful and they're only going to get better! 😍
Just Finished My 1890s Outfit After About A Year Of Work - All Of The Layers Are Hand Knit Or Sewn
Dress With A Lot Of Color And Flowers. Handmade By My Girlfriend
This is both very cute and sexy at the same time. I love the vintage feel. It is conservative and cheeky all in one.
The First Time I Sewed. I Made The Dresses From Season 2 Of TV Show "Bridgerton"
I Usually Do More Streetwear But Here's A Dress I Made For Ball
It Was A Long Job For Me, But I'm Very Happy With The Result. And It's Also Made Of Cashmere Yarn, Which Makes The Dress Light, Soft, And Warm
Dress Made For Christmas
Finished My Velvet Christmas Dress
I Made My Wedding Dress And Got Married Yesterday
I Designed, Drafted, And Sewed This Dress As A School Project. It's Inspired By The Ruins Of Pompeii
I Sewed Lavender Crepe Back Satin Gown For My Little Sister
I Made My Daughter And Myself A New Mommy And Me Set And It Has Me Feeling Like We’re Dancing In An Old Movie Together
I Made A Dress I’m Super Proud Of
I Made A Gown Inspired By The Dior 1949/1950 Collection. Full Skirts, Simple Bodices, And Petal-Like Skirts Were All Featured In This Collection
I Made A Halloween "Dripping Blood"-Inspired Dress Entirely Out Of Hot Glue
I Made A Floor-Length Dress Out Of Shiny Curtains
Daenerys Targaryen Cosplay Dress
I Made This Crochet Dress. First Dress I've Crocheted
Thrift Flipped This Embroidered Sailboat Dress And I Love It
Completely transformed this dress into something that I'd pick up at the shops! You've done a fantastic job
My Self-Drafted Princess Dress That 5-Year-Old Me Dreamed Of
A Halloween Costume That I Designed And Have Sewn
Dress I Made For Prom
Made A Little White Dress For Dinner With Friends
Not My First Dress. I Made It For My Birthday In 3 Days
A Dress I Made For My Friend’s Wedding Last Year
My Graduation Dress For My Master's Degree
Made My Own Homecoming Dress
My Star Wars Puff Dress
I Made My Prom Dress
Unique and eye-catching! I love this- love the colour, love the star patterns. You looked amazing
I Made Comic Book Dress
Finished Isabela Madrigal Dress From Encanto
Self Drafted New Year's Eve Dress. And I’m Only A Month Late
Left: Teuta Cobalt Starry Dress, Right: Me
My Long-Overdue Project, But Finally, I Finished It. I Made A Black Lace Mermaid Dress For A Family Wedding
I Recreated The Marchesa Gown From The Movie "Crazy Rich Asians" For A Costume Party A While Ago. Too Much Money Spent On Tulle, But Here We Are
Upcycled Dad's Old Suit Into A Dress
I Made A Patchwork Dress From Old Jeans. I Used 6 Pairs Of Jeans And 120 Patches
I Made My Daughter's Grad/ Prom Dress
I Haven't Sewn In 35 Years But I Made A Dress! Pattern Is In A Twist Fun Sew So Easy
This Year I Hosted My First Christmas In A Dress I Finished Right On Time
I Found This Beautiful Fabric And Made A Dress Set For My Birthday
Found This Cute Fruity Fabric And Decided To Make A Cute Summer Milkmaid Dress
After Over 2+ Years Of Work, My Dream Blue Wedding Dress Made It Down The Aisle
I Copied Nancy's Purple Dress From Stranger Things 3
Made A Dress Out Of Other Old Dresses Saved From The Bins. Only Thread Is New. Recycling Is Fun
I Recreated Regina King's Emmys Dress Out Of A Thrifted Graduation Gown
I Crocheted A Dress From A Self-Drafted Pattern
I Made The Perfect Gown For My Engagement Photo Shoot
My Amazing Girlfriend Sewed This Queen Of Hearts Costume
Another Teuta Matoshi-Inspired Dress
Made This Ruched Summer Dress Out Of Stretch Bull Denim This Week
I Made A Goosebumps Skirt And Shirt Set From Some Bed Sheets
My Prom Dress For Next Year
Nice. The sleeves on the sides do nothing for the dress though...IMO it would look a bit more polished if you took them off...you look amazing either way ;)
Gave Myself Early Onset Arthritis By Making This Dress
Made A Nerdy Dress On Cotton Shirting That Looked Like Graph Paper. Channeling Major Prairie Math Teacher Vibes. Embroidered Some Little Charts On Too
Just Finished This Custom-Made Alpaca Wool Crochet Dress Yesterday (A Knee-Length Version In The Second Pic)
My Birthday Dress. Inspired By Carolina Herrera
My First Silk Gown I Made For A Gala Dinner Next Week
Sewed A Dress For My Neighbors' Wedding With Fabric She Gave Me
Sewed This Cute Summer Dress From 2 Very Different Fabrics
I Made A Dress Out Of A Famous Windows XP Error
One Of My Favorite Dresses I've Made. From Scratch, Home-Made Pattern
Interesting poses, I’d like to see what it looks like hanging naturally
I Finally Got Around To Getting In A Dress With One Of My Artwork Designs On "SpaceMushroom". I Hope You All Like it
A Girl In My Class Sewed This Whole Renaissance Dress From Scratch
I Recently Got A Bunch Of Old Dress Shirts From My Dad, And I Turned Four Of Them Into This Dress
My Mom Made This Lindor Chocolate Wrapper Dress For My Senior Prom (Which Got Canceled)
The Dress I Created For The New Year Roaring 20s Theme Party With Friends. It Was My First Time Doing An Entire Dress With No Pattern, Just Simple Draping On The Form
I Made This Dress Some Time Ago But I’m Still Very Proud And Wanted To Share It
My First Dress! Made From An Old Bedsheet
The Coolest Dress I’ve Ever Made
Well c**p. Another BP list that made me want to learn to do something new and creative that will end up costing me a lot of money and I'll more than likely be c**p at doing. lol. (I used to quilt and I've never tried to make clothes so at least I have an old sewing machine lol)
Try it. Start simple you can do it quilting will have given you alot of basic skills you're need ! I can make clothes but cannot make a decent quilt though i keep giving it a go, alling that many seamse to run straight is so difficult.
Load More Replies...My aunt made my wedding dress and it's a work of art. I wish I could wear it again! I'm short, no kids, and none of my nieces will fit in it. I hope and imagine that one day the right someone will find it in a thrift store years from now and it will be perfect for them.
Mind blown. The only thing I didn't like about this post was not upvoting them all.
I’m in the middle of making a dress right now, it was supposed to be recreating Civil War fashion while learning how to sew, but I didn’t like my design and decided to just make the type of dress I want, which is of course wildly different. But hopefully it’ll turn out as well as these.
I've made doll clothes, and crochet stuffed animals, but nothing so elaborate as these. I could become decent at it, but it would take alot of hard work and practice. With small children I don't have that kind of time right now. Though I might try it again once they are a bit bigger.
I forget how much I enjoy looking at pretty dresses until I actually do!
So much talent, but pressing and steaming the garments really well would make such a difference. It is also clear how much people struggle with darts - they can be so awkward to do.
My mom says about 40% of sewing well is ironing. I love sewing darts! It was one of the few things I could do.
Load More Replies...Such talent and creativity displayed in this post and not just the top 50! I loved that so many people upcycled and reused fabrics
I made my own Aftergrad dress. It was periwinkle satin, A-line with spaghetti straps, and a bunch of hand-embroidered pearls on the bodice and hem. I had a matching shawl and purse I made that was a dark periwinkle in a fuzzy thread sort of fabric. Mine didn't turn out as nicely as these did though.
Posts like this make me wish I had the talent and creativity to join in. Sadly, I'm such a poor stitcher my daughter took off all her scout badges and did them again herself!
Love to see so many talented people designing and sewing their own dresses! I used to work with a nurse (male) who sewed his own scrubs and used the craziest designed fabrics. One was "frogs (with helmets) on hogs (motorcycles)" A real ice breaker with the little kids. His mom taught all her kids to sew.
I ONLY commented on the dresses that I liked. I was brought up to not be hurtful, or say something that I would not want said to me or about me.
The dresses are lovely, but if you took away all the ones that have appeared in other BP lists, there would only be about 20 left.
Well c**p. Another BP list that made me want to learn to do something new and creative that will end up costing me a lot of money and I'll more than likely be c**p at doing. lol. (I used to quilt and I've never tried to make clothes so at least I have an old sewing machine lol)
Try it. Start simple you can do it quilting will have given you alot of basic skills you're need ! I can make clothes but cannot make a decent quilt though i keep giving it a go, alling that many seamse to run straight is so difficult.
Load More Replies...My aunt made my wedding dress and it's a work of art. I wish I could wear it again! I'm short, no kids, and none of my nieces will fit in it. I hope and imagine that one day the right someone will find it in a thrift store years from now and it will be perfect for them.
Mind blown. The only thing I didn't like about this post was not upvoting them all.
I’m in the middle of making a dress right now, it was supposed to be recreating Civil War fashion while learning how to sew, but I didn’t like my design and decided to just make the type of dress I want, which is of course wildly different. But hopefully it’ll turn out as well as these.
I've made doll clothes, and crochet stuffed animals, but nothing so elaborate as these. I could become decent at it, but it would take alot of hard work and practice. With small children I don't have that kind of time right now. Though I might try it again once they are a bit bigger.
I forget how much I enjoy looking at pretty dresses until I actually do!
So much talent, but pressing and steaming the garments really well would make such a difference. It is also clear how much people struggle with darts - they can be so awkward to do.
My mom says about 40% of sewing well is ironing. I love sewing darts! It was one of the few things I could do.
Load More Replies...Such talent and creativity displayed in this post and not just the top 50! I loved that so many people upcycled and reused fabrics
I made my own Aftergrad dress. It was periwinkle satin, A-line with spaghetti straps, and a bunch of hand-embroidered pearls on the bodice and hem. I had a matching shawl and purse I made that was a dark periwinkle in a fuzzy thread sort of fabric. Mine didn't turn out as nicely as these did though.
Posts like this make me wish I had the talent and creativity to join in. Sadly, I'm such a poor stitcher my daughter took off all her scout badges and did them again herself!
Love to see so many talented people designing and sewing their own dresses! I used to work with a nurse (male) who sewed his own scrubs and used the craziest designed fabrics. One was "frogs (with helmets) on hogs (motorcycles)" A real ice breaker with the little kids. His mom taught all her kids to sew.
I ONLY commented on the dresses that I liked. I was brought up to not be hurtful, or say something that I would not want said to me or about me.
The dresses are lovely, but if you took away all the ones that have appeared in other BP lists, there would only be about 20 left.